Recycle, v. 1. trans. a. To reuse (a material) in an industrial process;
to return to a previous stage of a cyclic process. b. spec. To
reuse (a waste material), to convert (waste) into a usable form; also,
to reclaim (a material) from waste.

Children have always been fascinated with miniature versions of real
things--dollhouses, action figures, and especially vehicles such as matchbox
cars and dump trucks. Where toys and games are not easily available to
children, they are made from whatever materials are readily accessible.
Stones and pebbles are used in counting games, wood is carved to make
spinning tops. In today's global climate where consumer icons of the West
have spread throughout the world, objects are transformed, renewed, and
recycled into something completely different, such as a toy airplane or
a toy truck.

In this virtual display (from an exhibit shown at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) - spring 2002), we see toys from Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, Cambodia,
Afghanistan, India, and the United States, all made from various objects
that were once used, discarded, found, and recycled into toys. What was
once a bottle top is now the steering wheel of a toy truck. What was a
can of soda is now the propeller of a toy airplane. The detailed craftsmanship
of some of these toys is evident in car doors that open, steering wheels
and bicycle wheels that turn, and propellers that rotate.

The Artists: A Case Study

In 1972 an organization called Enda was started in Dakar, Senegal, and
has now spread to over a dozen countries in Africa, Latin America, and
Asia. Today, one of the primary goals of this non-governmental organization
is to develop projects in urban areas for young children born into poor
families and for unemployed young adults. One such project is a workshop
in which children learn how to make and sell toys and other objects out
of recycled materials. The wire car on display was made by a Senegalese
boy in the Enda workshop in Dakar. Girls also learn how to weave bags,
hats, and dolls out of colorful strips of plastic bags and other materials.
Each child keeps a percentage of the proceeds for him or herself, and
the remaining amount goes back to the organization to purchase materials.

The toys on display here were made by children participating in workshops
such as those sponsored by Enda, as well as by skilled independent artisans
who sell their crafts to passers-by, tourists, and collectors.

The Art of Recycling

Creating toys out of recycled material is not specific to developing
nations. Craft fairs and flea markets in New York, for example, display
objects made out of tin cans, rubber from tires, bottle caps, and other
discarded material. Young children make toys out of Popsicle sticks and
bottle caps for school projects. Throughout the world, children enrich
the art of play, through transforming, renewing, and recycling everyday
consumer products into toys.